When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. August 6, 1777 Battle of Oriskany and St. Leger The Battle of Oriskany occurred on August 6, 1777, when the local Tryon County Militia attempted to come to the …
Monthly Archives: August 2024
Joseph Priestly and Carbon Dioxide
In Leeds Joseph Priestley’s home was situated near a brewery. Whenever he walked by the brewery, Priestley observed an unusual phenomenon. He noticed that “fixed air” (carbon dioxide) was released in the process of fermentation and that this new “air” would extinguish burning pieces of wood and then drift to the ground. At home Priestley …
Historical Tidbits — Signing of the Declaration of Independence
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. August 2, 1776 – Fifty-five members of the second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to formally sign the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin is oft quoted as having said …
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Historical Tidbits
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. August 2, 1776 – Fifty-five members of the second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to formally sign the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin is oft quoted as having said …
You Still Talk Funny
So, in my guise as “David Rittenhouse” for Historic Philadelphia, I meet all sorts. One prevalent of the query, however, “why, if you are part of British North America do you not speak with an accent?” I find this interesting for two reasons. Firstly, what was the accent in 1770? It clearly was NOT what …
Historical Tidbits — SHAY’S REBELLION
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. August 31, 1786 – SHAY’S REBELLION: Enraged by high debts and Massachusetts increased efforts to collect taxes, Captain Daniel Shay (Continental Army) led an armed mob to disrupt the …
Phlogiston and Fire — The Isolation of Oxygen
In the mid-18th century, the most pressing issue in chemistry and physics was to determine what exactly happens when something burns. The prevailing theory was that flammable materials contained a substance called “phlogiston” (from the Greek word for burn) that was released during combustion. The theory held that when a candle burned, for example, phlogiston …
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You Talk Funny
So, I was in Center City the other day as a pre-revolutionary “loyal subject of the crown” when a group of school kids, who being teenagers know everything…, when one of them starts snarking in a cockney accent that I don’t talk like a Britton. Let’s set the record straight. People from Philadelphia, DON’T speak …
Historical Tidbits — Robbing the First Bank of the United States
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. Robbing the First Bank of the United States In 1789, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton hammered out a great compromise that would create our nations first federal bank. Under …
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Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 